Grant Macdonald Create "Ruaha" In Support of Tusk

Posted:Nov302017

Driven by the fact that lions may now number as few as twenty thousand in the wild, the team of designers and craftsmen at Grant Macdonald wanted to create a unique piece to raise awareness and funds in support of Tusk and our efforts to protect lions. The sale of this sterling silver lion will provide a significant contribution to our work.

The beautifully handcrafted lion is the work of many talented craftspeople, and the production has involved many processes, from the newest technology to ancient techniques, finished with the hallmark of the London Assay Office. This is the best of the best of English silversmithing being made today. The lion will be the first part of an ongoing initiative between Grant Macdonald and Tusk, originally in association with Bowes Brothers, which will grow to include other endangered species.

The silver lion ‘Ruaha’ has been named after the large National Park in Tanzania, where Tusk is working in partnership with the Ruaha Carnivore Project which is developing conservation techniques for the large carnivores in this globally important ecosystem.

Lions today occupy less than 10% of their historic range having suffered from habitat loss, declines in their prey, and retaliatory or pre-emptive killing to protect life and livestock. Habitat loss has left a number of populations isolated, particularly in West Africa. They may also be threatened by disease, and more recently they have been targeted for traditional Chinese medicine, with their bones serving as a substitute for tiger bones.

Details
One of a kind art work sold with a Certificate of Authenticity
Scale 1:4
Length 51cm, Width 11cm, Height 26cm
Ruaha is the result of 160 hours work by nine individual craftsmen
Hallmarked by the London Assay Office who have been testing the purity of metal since 1327
This piece is available from www.grantmacdonald.com and their showroom in Harrods.
£46,000